Because they have different, even opposite, properties (thermal, electric, mechanical) metal and oxide are often associated. Metal/oxide interface are then found in various applications, from hot processing to energy, from micro-electronics to medicine. Nevertheless, metal/oxide interface is often a weak spot in terms of mechanical resistance which is still an issue for such system reliability and durability.

Through two studies one can apprehend how the combination of environment and mechanical loading can affect metal/oxide systems durability, and how different elements can influence their mechanical resistance. The first study concerns thermally grown oxide on metallic alloys used in high temperature applications. The second one focuses on fatigue behavior of Cu/SiO2 interface and the potential benefit of self-assembled molecule nano-layers.